.png)
Christians have unique identities that classify who we are or should be relationally and functionally to God, to all people and to the world. As the Church, we are Christ's body and His ambassadors, and God’s righteousness on earth. Like the human body, the Church is an organized system with a framework, principles and procedures that harmoniously work together in fulfillment of Christ’s purpose for His church and glory. Every believer is conditioned and commissioned to shine as the light of this world like Christ. For as Christ is so we are on this earth.
There are many similarities between the Church as a living organism and the human body. For example, the human nervous system is the body’s command center. In fact, it controls our movements, thoughts, conscious , unconscious and instinnctive responses It also control other body systems and processes, such as digestion, respiration and growth. Let the nervous system break down and our whole body will begin to disorient and break down as well. This principle is also applicable to the church. The consequences of compromising or complementing Christ established system and principles for the nurturing, growth, and expansion of His church is similar to the impact of a damaged nervous or digestive or respiratory system on human body. It is the worst thing believers can do to the body of Christ and the Christian faith. We see and hear Christ’s cry against people who indulged in this behavior in the Gospels.
John 12:42:50 informs us of some Jewish rulers and religious leaders who though believed in Christ, yet for the praise of people, for self-publicity, for fear of losing their affluence and status, and being excommunicated by the Pharisees, held on to human traditions and refused to identify themselves with the Christian faith publicly. These leaders were unwilling to recant their system of religion based on legalized human traditions and philosophy of men. They preferred their broken religious system and principles, secret inner world of ungodliness rooted in the pleasure of life, lust of the flesh, and pride of life to their loyalty to Christ. Christ’s response to their attitude and dispositions inform all Christians of the fundamental and uncompromising framework and principles of the Christian faith as follows:
He who believes in Christ believes not in Him but He who sent Him (John 12:44).
Hey who beholds Christ beholds He who sent Him (12:45).
Christ is not into this world for judgement; rather He is into this world to shine as the light of the world, redeem and save humanity from darkness (12:46-48).
Christ as the Son of man is God’s sent who lived, moved, had His being, and offered everlasting life to all humanity on account of God’s authority (12: 49-50).
Believers according to John 20:21-22 are Christ’s sent ones just as the Father sent Him, and Christ in John 13:20 declares: “verily truly I tell you, whoever accept anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent Me.” This harmonious union between the believer, Christ, and the Father through the inward working of the Holy Spirit is sealed in John 14 :20 and in 1 Corinthians 6:17. By virtue of this divine system of framework and principles to fulfilling the Church, Christ brings us into a position of relationship and fellowship with the Godhead in which we are conditioned and required to uphold and live the Christian faith without compromising as God’s righteousness and visible presence on earth. Like the human body, the believer’s beliefs, thoughts, words, actions, and values must conform to Christ, to his system and principles by which the church fulfils her mission on earth. We must therefore remain resolute in the faith, in our relationship and fellowship with the Godhead, and stay on course for Christ. We must not downplay our role and our endowed capacities to accomplish our mission on earth. Like Christ, we are the light of the world and we must shine as such. It is a mandate with no option.
To break our faithfulness and commitment to Christ and His Spirit is to impair the capacities of the church. It is to grieve the Holy Spirit in us.
This is why Christ commands all believers to take up our cross, deny ourselves and follow Him(Luke 9:23).
Rising to our responsibilities as the body of Christ
Trust in Christ faithfulness and totally commit yourself to Him with all your heart, mind and soul.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind even as you drenched yourself richly in God’s word.
Desist from judging others, stay focused on who and what you are as the light of the world in the fullness of who Christ is.
Live, move, and have your being in Christ who is the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead.
Prayer Topics
Spend quality time with God in praise and worship for qualifying you to be a role player in His salvific plan for humanity by Christ Jesus through the power of His Spirit in you
Pray for the grace to stay on course and not to fall from the faith and sin against God.
Make declarations about who and what God has made you in Christ as result of the above scriptures.
Rebuke the spirit of distraction and every satanic stronghold in your life that can severe your relationship with God. These include the cravings for physical pleasure and all the works of the flesh.